Press and method for coin pressing articles

ABSTRACT

This invention is a machine and method for coin-pressing flat strip blanks into semi-cylindrical bearing shells. After a pair of tools have been brought together to form the shell, the tools start to part and the shell is retained on one of them; then a pair of fingers engage the edges of the shell to hold it after it is released from the tool. In order to get proper release from the tool, detents on the fingers move in by cam action to lever the shell from the tool, and a side flange in the tool is moved away from the shell so that the shell is free to be released by the detents. Finally a magnetic delivery member moves into the press under the located shell, the fingers move apart to release the shell and let it drop on to the delivery member, and the delivery member moves out of the press and takes the shell with it.

Unite States Patent [191 MacDonald et al. Feb. 4, 1975 [54] PRESS AND METHOD FOR COIN PRESSING 3,507,142 4/1970 Coupland et al. 72/415 CL 3,774,435 11/1973 Wales et al. 29/1495 DP 751 to:F kMDldl';D'd l nven rs i gg g g k igi i Primary Exammer-Richard J. Herbst Stephens, prestwick, a of scofland Attorney, Agent, or FirmPierce, Scheffler & Parker [73] Assignee: The Glacier Metal Company,Limited,

Wembley, Middlesex, England [57] ABSTRACT 22 Filed; 11 973 This invention is a machine and method for coin pressing flat strip blanks into semi-cylindrical bearing [21] Appl- 359,469 shells. After a pair of tools have been brought together to form the shell, the tools start to part and the shell is [30] Foreign Application Priority Data retained on one of them; then a pair of fingers engage Ma 1 l 1972 Great Britain 21996472 the edges of the shell tohold it after it is released from 1972 Great Britain 21995/72 the tool. In order to get proper release from the tool, y detents on the fingers move in by cam action to lever the shell from the tool, and a side flange in the tool is qf gfig moved away from the shell so that the shell is free to [58] Fieid 361 412 be released by the detents. Finally a magnetic delivery 72/415 29/149 5 i 3 member moves into the press under the located shell, the fingers move apart to release the shell and let it drop on to the delivery member, and the delivery [56] References Cited member moves out of the press and takes the shell UNITED STATES PATENTS with it 1,895,401 1/1933 Simonsen et al 72/344 2,159,901 5/1939 Le June 72/345 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEB FEB 41975 sum 1 or 3 Pmimznraaws 3 ,863,485 SHEET 3 OF 3 & 31 36 Had.

PRESS AND METHOD FOR COIN PRESSING ARTICLES This invention relates to a press and a method for coin-pressing such articles as hearing shells in a mass production method. Some bearing shells are in the form of semi-cylindrical shells pressed from flat blanks between coin-pressing dies or tools and in order to manufacture them economically it is necessary to press the blanks out at a high repetition rate.

An object of the invention is to enable such a high repetition rate to be achieved.

According to the present invention a press for coinpressing bearing shells includes a pair of forming tools and means for bringing them together to form a blank into a shell, locating means arranged to position the formed shell during movement of the tools apart, and a delivery device arranged to deliver the shell from the located position.

The locating means ensures that as the forming tools are moved apart following formation ofa shell the shell is not left lying loosely waiting to be pushed out by the next incoming blank but is precisely located, for example, being held on one of the tools during the first part of the movement of the tools apart.

It has frequently been found in the past that if the blanks are left loosely waiting to be pushed out by the next incoming blank, they sometimes get damaged or jam the press or can be pushed out with random orientation which tends to slow down production.

Another problem is to ensure that the'formed shell is efficiently released from the forming tools after forming and accordingly there may be a releaseable flange on one tool arranged to hold the shell on that tool during the first part of the movement apart and then to release it. Further there may be a finger acting positively to remove the shell from the tool after the first part of the movement apart. Such a finger can act as the locating means after the shell has been released from the tool. I

Then when the tools have moved far enough apart the delivery device is conveniently arranged to move into the press to collect the shell from the located position and then to withdraw it. Thus the finger described above can be arranged automatically to release the shell once the delivery device is in position so that the shell is collected by the delivery device which may be of magnetic material enabling it readily to withdraw shells with ferrous components.

The invention includes a method of coin-pressing bearing shells in which, after forming, a shell is held located until the tools have separated and until a delivery device has been positioned to receive the shell from the located position.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways and one embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of components of a coinpress for making bearing shells;

FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1 of certain components of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a view of a coined bearing shell, and

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, are views in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 1 of components of the machine at successive stages in the operation.

The press consists essentially of a bolster II which carries a concave semi-cylindrical bottom die 12, and a complementary bend punch carrier 13 which carries a bend punch 14 of convex semi-cylindrical shape, as that the die and punch can between them form a blank into a semi-cylindrical bearing shelll 15 when the punch is forced into the die.

In operation the blank is positioned over the die l2 and then the bend punch carrier and the bend punch are lowered together to force the blank into the die as shown in FIG. 2. That action forms the arcuate surfaces of the final shell as indicated at I6 in FIG. 3. Then the carrier 13 moves further down in relation to the punch 14 against compression springs 17.

The bend punch has side pieces in the form of flanges l8 and 19, the first of which is fixed while the second is movable in the direction of the arrow 21 under the camming action provided by inclined surfaces 22 and 23 respectively on the punch and the carrier. Thus the further downward movement of the carrier 13 forces the flange I9 towards the flange 13 so that the sides 24 of the shell are coined between the flanges. Finally, the joint face edges 25 are coined against a coining face 20 on the underside of the carrier 13.

When the bend punch rises again, the coined shell tends to cling to the punch and to rise with it, and for high speed mass production methods it is necessary to provide some means for reliably removing the shell and also for positioning it ready for subsequent removal. Accordingly it is arranged that the carrier rises in relation to the punch, so that the surface 23 rises in relation to the surface 22 and that allows the side flange 19 to be released from clamping the shell against the flange 18. In spite of that release movement the flange is re tained located by a tongue and groove 26 and a spring loaded plunger 27 in the side of the surface 23.

The shell is released from the punch 14 by means of a pair of fingers 31 formed of the inner faces of a pair of crank arms 32 one on each side of the punch as shown in FIGS. l and 4 which are adapted to be brought into engagement with the: joint face edges 25 of the bearing shell. The lower ends of the crank arms are pivotally mounted from the bolster 11 at 34. A pair of springs 35 tend to urge the crank arms towards each other so that cam follower rollers 36 on the cranks are urged against cam surfaces 37 on the outer sides of a pair of vertical arms 30 mounted to move up and down with the carrier 13.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, show at their right hand sides the action of one of the cams as the carrier rises. In the position shown in FIG. 4, before the carrier has begun to move away from the punch, the roller 36 is held out against its springs 35 so that the finger 31 is clear of the shell 15. FIG. 5 shows how, when the carrier begins to leave the punch 14, the roller begins to move inwards. Through the next part of the stroke the roller is opposite a recessed portion 38 of the cam surface 37 and the finger 31 engages the edge 25 of the shell as shown in FIG. 6.

The flanges l8 and 19 are arranged to hold the shell until the fingers 31 have reached the engaged position shown in FIG. 6, so that further movement of the punch moves it clear of the shell, which is then held between the inner surfaces 43 of the crank arms 33 and fingers 31 until the rollers 36 have been pushed out again by the parts 45 of the cam surfaces below the recessed portions 38 at the end of the upward stroke.

A magnetic saddle 41 is slid along a slideway 42 to a position about l/l6 inches below the shell just before the shell is released from the arms 32. The saddle is then advanced along the slideway to remove the shell from the press in preparation for insertion of a new blank before the next downstroke of the carrier.

In that way the shell is precisely located throughout the operation until it is removed from the press, and is then removed quickly with the required orientation.

The timing of the movements of the carrier, the punch, the cams, and the saddle are co-ordinated by conventional drive means (not shown) on the machine.

In an alternative embodiment both flanges l8 and 19 are movable away from the punch 14.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by letters Patent is:

l. A press for coin-pressing separate blanks into semi-cylindrical bearing shells including a pair of forming tools having complementary opposed semicylindrical surfaces for forming opposite faces of the shells, and a mechanical drive for bringing the tools together to form the shells, and including also side pieces arranged to come together to clamp the side faces of the blanks while they are being formed into the semicylindrical shape, but to be released after the forming tools move apart when the shells have been formed, a member having a surface which is held against the joint faces of the shells to locate them during forming, whereby all the faces of the blanks are located during forming and retaining means locating said shells in-position after forming and following release thereof from said forming tools.

2. A press as claimed in claim 1 and which further includes a delivery device for delivering each formed shell from the position in which it is retained and located following release from said formingtools.

3. A press as claimed in claim 2 and which further includes means for moving said delivery device into the press to collect each shell from the located position and for then withdrawing it.

4. A press as defined in claim 3 and which further includes means for releasing each shell from said retaining and locating means after said delivery device has moved into the press to collect the shell.

5. A press as defined in claim 2 wherein said delivery device has a configuration conforming to that of the shell for holding the shell orientated during delivery.

6. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein said retaining means for locating each shell after forming and following release thereof from said forming tools are arranged on opposite sides of the shell and have surfaces for gripping opposite sides of the shell.

7. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein said side pieces for clamping the side faces ofthe bearing blanks while they are being formed into the semi-cylindrical shell shape are correlated to one of said forming tools and also function to hold the formed bearing shell on that tool during the first part of the movement of the tools apart.

8. A press as defined in claim 7 wherein said side pieces are constituted by flanges on one of said forming tools, and one of said flanges is released upon completion of the first part of the movement of the tools apart.

9. A press as defined in claim 1 and wherein said retaining and locating means for each shell subsequent to formation thereof includes a finger portion serving to separate the shell from one of the tools upon completion of a first part of the movement of the tools apart.

10. A press as claimed in claim 1 and which further includes a delivery device for delivering each formed shell from the position in which it is retained and located following release from said forming tools, said delivery device being provided with magnetic means for keeping the formed bearing shell engaged with it.

l l l 

1. A press for coin-pressing separate blanks into semicylindrical bearing shells including a pair of forming tools having complementary opposed semi-cylindrical surfaces for forming opposite faces of the shells, and a mechanical drive for bringing the tools together to form the shells, and including also side pieces arranged to come together to clamp the side faces of the blanks while they are being formed into the semicylindrical shape, but to be released after the forming tools move apart when the shells have been formed, a member having a surface which is held against the joint faces of the shells to locate them during forming, whereby all the faces of the blanks are located during forming and retaining means locating said shells in position after forming and following release thereof from said forming tools.
 2. A press as claimed in claim 1 and which further includes a delivery device for delivering each formed shell from the position in which it is retained and located following release from said forming tools.
 3. A press as claimed in claim 2 and which further includes means for moving said delivery device into the press to collect each shell from the located position and for then withdrawing it.
 4. A press as defined in claim 3 and which further includes means for releasing each shell from said retaining and locating means after said delivery device has moved into the press to collect the shell.
 5. A press as defined in claim 2 wherein said delivery device has a configuration conforming to that of the shell for holding the shell orientated during delivery.
 6. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein said retaining means for locating each shell after forming and following release thereof from said forming tools are arranged on opposite sides of the shell and have surfaces for gripping opposite sides of the shell.
 7. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein said side pieces for clamping the side faces of the bearing blanks while they are being formed into the semi-cylindrical shell shape are correlated to one of said forming tools and also function to hold the formed bearing shell on that tool during the first part of the movement of the tools apart.
 8. A press as defined in claim 7 wherein said side pieces are constituted by flanges on one of said forming tools, and one of said flanges is released upon completion of the first part of the movement of the tools apart.
 9. A press as defined in claim 1 and wherein said retaining and locating means for each shell subsequent to formation thereof includes a finger portion serving to separate the shell from one of the tools upon completion of a first part of the movement of the tools apart.
 10. A press as claimed in claim 1 and which further includes a delivery device for delivering each formed shell from the position in which it is retained and located following release from said forming tools, said delivery device being provided with magnEtic means for keeping the formed bearing shell engaged with it. 